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Marine sentry shooting death at Camp Lejeune might be accidental

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A Marine standing guard at the main entrance to Camp Lejeune, N.C., shot and killed a fellow Marine Tuesday evening, using his M4 service rifle, officials said. The incident is under investigation. The Marine Corps Times reported Wednesday the shooting likely is the result of a "negligent discharge."
(Cpl. Damany Coleman, U.S. Marine Corps, via Marine Corps Times)

A Marine sentry at Camp Lejeune's main gate might have accidentally fired his M4 service rifle when he killed a fellow guard, Marine Corps Times is reporting. The investigation into the Tuesday evening incident at the sprawling North Carolina Marine Corps base continues, but authorities think the incident is the result of a "negligent discharge."

The shooting happened inside a guard shack beneath the canopy at the base entrance. The dead Marine was shot once in the chest, according to the Marine Corps Times report.

Neither Marine was identified. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is investigating, according to the report.

Home to the 2nd Marine Division and other major war-fighting units, Camp Lejeune is the largest Marine Corps base on the East Coast. Its primary mission is to prepare troops to deploy for combat. It serves as the home for more than 41,000 active-duty troops, most of them Marines. Another 50,000 military families live there, according to the base's economic impact report.

The base has 156,000 acres and 11 miles of Atlantic Ocean beach, enough for amphibious training operations. It has three training areas for urban combat training, and 80 live-fire ranges, according to the base's website.